Protecting Firefighters from smoke and contaminants in training

This is a summary, not the official document. It was written by the Irish Firefighter Hub to set out the key points of GPN 5.2. The original is by the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM) and published on fireireland.ie. Section numbers (for example “Section 5.4”) point to the original. Where anything here differs from the original, the original applies. Always follow your fire authority’s own policy and training.

At a glance

Who it covers. Everyone at live fire training in Learning & Development Centres: students on BA and compartment fire behaviour (CFB) initial and refresher courses, instructors, course assistants and support staff. Section 1
Training smoke is still a risk. Smoke from controlled training fuels is likely to be less harmful than at real incidents, but courses are long and intensive, so exposure can be longer and possibly higher. Section 1
Clean fuel only. Burn only clean pallets (with plastic stripped off) and OSB. Never rubbish, plastics or waste. Keep accelerants to an absolute minimum. Sections 2 and 4.3
Gas off for 10 to 15 minutes. After each wear, tunic, trousers and gloves come off and are left to gas off before going indoors. Section 5.4
Shower within the hour, and eat or drink only after showering. Section 5.4 and Appendix 3
Bag kit for the journey home. Never carry kit that smells of smoke in a vehicle unless it is bagged or boxed. Section 5.5
Extra protection for course assistants, who are exposed most often. Section 5.6

What’s new

This is version 1.0 of GPN 5.2. It is the companion to GPN 5.1, which covers operational incidents, and the two should be read together. Most of the background (why smoke is harmful, how it gets into the body, PPE and zones) is the same in both notes. This briefing concentrates on what is different in training. Read the GPN 5.1 Hub briefing.

Why training needs its own note

Sections 1 and 2

Training fires use controlled fuels, so the smoke is more predictable and likely to be less harmful than at incidents.
But Firefighters on courses are often exposed for longer, and possibly at higher levels, because the training is condensed and intensive.
Instructors and course assistants are exposed again and again, course after course.
Research links fire contaminants to a higher risk of cancer and other diseases, so training centres need the same discipline as stations.

The centre and the course

Sections 1 and 5.2

Centres don’t have to supply full PPE for visiting students, but they will provide facilities for gassing off kit and for washing and drying students’ PPE.
Every centre should set out its decontamination procedures clearly in its joining instructions or handover documents.
Visiting instructors must follow the centre’s procedures. Instructors should go through them at the pre course meeting.
Students should be briefed on the centre’s decontamination procedures at the start of every course, and this should be closely monitored.

Fuel and fires

Sections 2 and 4.3

Burn only clean pallets, with any plastic stripped off, and OSB (oriented strand board).
Never burn rubbish, plastics or any other waste material.
Think carefully about how burn room fires are started. Keep accelerants to an absolute minimum, and avoid them altogether if possible.

Respiratory protection

Section 4.4

Match your respiratory protection to the risk:

Task	Minimum protection
Lower risk tasks, such as cleaning and handling dirty BA sets, hose or soiled PPE	FFP3 half mask (EN 149)
Higher levels of particles and soot, such as cleaning training rigs, removing burnt waste, or preparing and setting up exercises	Full face respirator (EN 136 Class 2 or higher) with a particulate filter
Anywhere harmful gases may be present	Full breathing apparatus

Filling BA cylinders should also be done wearing P3 masks and nitrile gloves. Section 5.1

During training

Section 5.3

Set up each BA wear in clean air, taking the wind direction into account.
Changing cylinders: wear a P3 mask and nitrile gloves. Wipe your head, neck and hands before going back in, unless you never came off air.
Site BA entry control and command points out of the smoke.
Students, trainers and course assistants not taking part in the wear should stay out of the smoke.
P3 masks only stop particles, not toxic gases.
If you need the toilet or welfare facilities during a wear, clean your hands, face and neck first, away from the contaminated area.
Where appliances are used, park them upwind with cab windows closed. Appendix 3

After each wear

Section 5.4

Once the lead instructor ends the wear, everyone starts decontamination together.

Step by step after the wear

Set up a doffing area with a ground sheet.
Students and instructors put on P3 masks and disposable gloves.
Wipe down BA sets and cylinders with heavy duty industrial wipes before they go for refilling.
Take off trousers, tunic and gloves and leave them to gas off for 10 to 15 minutes (as set out in ISO 23616:2024).
Wash boots in a boot washer.
Wipe helmets inside and out with industrial wipes before bringing them back into the training building.
Take off flash hoods and send them for washing.
Clean your head, face, neck, jaw, throat and hands with decontamination wipes.
Dispose of used wipes, gloves, masks and other disposables properly.
After gassing off, carry the trousers, tunic and gloves (wearing nitrile gloves) to a well ventilated drying area.
Shower within the hour of returning to the training building.

Eat and drink only after showering. Dirty PPE and clothing must not be worn in canteens or lecture rooms. Appendix 3

At the end of the course

Section 5.5

Transport BA sets in line with GPN 5.1.
Put PPE (tunic, trousers, flash hoods, gloves and undergarments) in tied water soluble bags, then inside ordinary plastic bags.
Bag helmets and boots too.
Never carry contaminated items that smell of smoke in a vehicle to or from the centre unless they are bagged or boxed.

Back at your own fire service

Finish cleaning, outdoors as much as possible.
Wear disposable gloves and a P3 mask, at least, when cleaning dirty kit.
Clean sinks and worktops afterwards.
Replace and wash base layers.
Don’t go into canteens, dormitories or other clean areas in dirty clothes.
Deep clean PPE and equipment, especially BA, after every training period.
Keep rehydrating for days after the course.

PPE should be cleaned inside and out to a standard such as ISO 23616 (2024), and treated as out of service until the inside is clean and dry. Kit with a slight smell of smoke should hang somewhere well ventilated, away from clean kit.

Course assistants

Section 5.6

Course assistants work at the centre week after week, so they face a higher risk and need extra protection.

Loading the crib (before the fire is lit): wear a full face P3 mask and gloves.
Adding fuel during a wear: wear full firefighting PPE (tunic, trousers, helmet, boots and gloves) and BA. Escape sets may be used. Alternatively, instructors already under air in full PPE can add the fuel, with good communication between instructors and assistants.
If a course assistant has been exposed while adding fuel, they follow the same decontamination steps as after a wear, including gassing off, wiping down and shower within the hour.

Zones in training centres

Section 5.2.1

Training centres use the same Red, Yellow and Green zones as stations, adapted for training:

Zone	Examples in a training centre
Red (hot)	BA cylinder fill room, BA and equipment washrooms, gassing off area
Yellow (warm)	Toilets and showers, briefing/debrief room, lockers, laundry, in use kit room, drying room, general store
Green (cold)	Entrances and reception, offices and meeting rooms, training room, mess and kitchen, IT rooms

Zones should be easy to spot for students who don’t train there often, for example with a coloured band around the top 300mm of each room or coloured furniture, plus door signs.
Centres with limited space should consider keeping the whole building clean, with decontamination done outside.

What fire authorities and centres should have in place

Section 6

Cleaning of PPE, in house or by a specialist contractor, with inspection, repair, a log of every wash for every item, manufacturer’s laundering and reproofing.
The same care system for equipment used in live fire training, especially BA sets, decontaminated before they go back into service.
Showers, and PPE washing and drying facilities, at training centres.

What’s in the appendices

Section 8

Table of the main control measures
Training centre signage: zone floor mats and door signs
Risk assessment for contamination during a wear, after a wear and at the end of a course

Read the full document. This briefing leaves out detail, diagrams and appendices. Open theoriginal GPN 5.2 (PDF) or see it onfireireland.ie. Briefing last checked against the original on4 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email info@irishfirefighterhub.ie.